Richmond continued their Jekyll and Hyde act on Saturday at the MCG, where a 20-point loss to Fremantle was equal parts tenacity and turnovers. The Tigers bettered the pressure kings in tackles and contested possessions, but decision making under duress proved the difference as the Dockers won 16.9 (105) to 12.13 (85).

Fremantle climbed to fourth on the ladder, with a golden opportunity to effectively lock up a double chance in the finals over the next six weeks when they face teams occupying the bottom half of the ladder.

Richmond staged an impressive late comeback to get within 14 points with a tick under six minutes remaining, but the mountain proved too high in front of the crowd of 22,074.

Hayden Ballantyne booted six goals, matching his career-best haul, while Nat Fyfe tallied a game-high 32 disposals. As was the case against North Melbourne last Sunday, a third-quarter fadeout marred what was otherwise a spirited display from Damien Hardwick's men.

Richmond battled hard to grab the lead late in the second term, only to hand it back before half-time when Ballantyne kicked two goals in a minute. Matthew Pavlich then dobbed consecutive goals after the major break, including a remarkable effort when he plucked the ball on the wing, sprinted past the 50m arc and kicked truly.

When Ballantyne slotted his fourth goal late in the third term, the Dockers had a 39-point lead and made it seven goals on the trot. The Tigers were never going to win from that position, despite Anthony Miles and Nathan Foley toiling manfully in the middle and Dustin Martin lifting late.

Jack Riewoldt was again an enigma, marking and leading well but potting one goal from seven attempts. Riewoldt hobbled from the field late in the second quarter, but returned and played out the game.

Richmond gifted their opposition far too many demoralising goals, with the most notable being Martin's attempt to rush a behind in the second term. Martin handballed over 15 metres, the umpires deemed the midfielder wasn't under pressure and rewarded Danyle Pearce a free-kick in front of the posts.

Josh Kennedy of the West Coast Eagles celebrates at Patersons Stadium in Perth. Photograph: TONY MCDONOUGH/AAPIMAGE

West Coast forward Josh Kennedy booted seven goals as the Eagles overcame a frenetic comeback from Gold Coast to post a three-point win at Patersons Stadium.

The Eagles looked to have the game in the bag after racing out to a 39-point lead when Kennedy kicked his seventh goal early in the third quarter. The margin was still 36 points early in the final quarter, but Gold Coast hit the lead with seven minutes remaining on the back of six unanswered goals.

With the game hanging by a thread, a deft tap from West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui in a goal-square scramble set up Jeremy McGovern for what turned out to be the winning goal. But the Eagles still had to endure a host of nervy moments in the dying minutes. Harley Bennell's long-range snap drifted in for a behind, while star Suns midfielder Gary Ablett was left cursing his luck when his checkside from the tightest of angles hit the post.

McGovern, playing just his third AFL game, took an excellent mark deep in defence in the dying moments to help West Coast secure the 15.13 (103) to 15.10 (100) win. The result was a major blow to Gold Coast's finals hopes, with the Suns (7-5) likely to slip to ninth by the end of the round, with games against Geelong, Hawthorn and Collingwood to come. West Coast improved to 5-7, but still have a long way to go if they are to get back into finals calculations.

Gold Coast skipper Ablett overcame a quiet start to finish with 33 possessions and 11 clearances, while Tom Lynch and Charlie Dixon kicked three goals apiece. Kennedy was the Eagles' stand-in skipper following the mid-week retirement of Darren Glass, supported by McGovern who chipped in with three to follow on from his impressive display against Hawthorn last week. Naitanui played his best match of the year, with the 100-game ruckman finishing with 22 possessions, 34 hitouts and six clearances.

The Eagles were dealt a major blow before the match when Luke Shuey was withdrawn due to an ankle injury. His absence further depleted a side already missing tagger Scott Selwood (ankle), ruckman Dean Cox (rested) and Glass.

But that mattered little as Naitanui and Kennedy tore the game open in the first half. Kennedy reaped the rewards of Naitanui's dominance, with the former Blue booting five goals in the first half to give the home side a 21-point lead at the long break.

Ablett willed his team back into the contest with a scintillating second half as Gold Coast's talented midfielders finally found their groove. But McGovern became the unlikely hero when he managed to get on the end of Naitanui's tap to kick a goal from close range.

Adam Treloar of the Giants celebrates kicking a goal against the Lions at The Gabba. Photograph: Matt Roberts/Getty Images

Another sickening head knock to Jonathan Brown ensured a Bugg made a bigger impact than Brisbane's "Mozzie squad" as Greater Western Sydney grabbed a historic 45-point win at the Gabba. The Giants claimed their first away win on their 28th attempt, sixth victory overall in 56 and their maiden triumph over the Lions.

The 19.11 (125) to 12.8 (80) scoreline was also their biggest winning margin, eclipsing the 37-point victory over Melbourne in round 19 last year. And it was their most points in a game, nudging the 124-point total in the same match against the Demons.

The Lions' pride might have been damaged but, arguably, veteran forward Brown was hurting the most after suffering his third head injury in 12 months when he ran into Tomas Bugg early in the third term. A brave Brown again ran backwards into the contest before his head connected with Bugg's hip, leaving the triple premiership winner dazed and confused. Alarm bells were ringing when he was escorted off the ground and quickly substituted but he was later diagnosed with a heavy concussion.

The Giants kicked the next two goals - and five straight in total - and did not look back as they largely silenced the 12,700 Gabba crowd. The Giants stood tall despite the threat of the local Mozzie squad - small forwards Josh Green, Lewis Taylor and Dayne Zorko. The trio had been the catalyst for Brisbane's mini-revival of two straight wins.

Taylor, Zorko (both three goals) and Green (one major) were again impressive but nothing could stop the Giants (3-9 record) nabbing a win that will go a long way towards them avoiding another wooden spoon.

The Giants only led by one point at the first break - 4.3 (27) to 4.2 (26) - and half-time, 9.4 (58) to 9.3 (57). Then Brown (two goals) went down. The Giants jumped to a 21-point buffer at the final break and were never headed.

Brent Reilly made his 200th appearance for the Crows in their win over North Melbourne at Adelaide Oval. Photograph: Morne de Klerk/Getty Images

Adelaide edged nearer to a spot in the top eight after recording a 36-point victory over NorthMelbourne in veteran Crow Brent Reilly's 200th AFL game at Adelaide Oval. A five-goal third term inspired by the versatile Sam Kerridge, who booted four goals in a cameo forward role, was the driving force behind the Crows steamrolling the Kangaroos 16.13 (109) to 10.13 (73).

Kerridge, who kicked a career-high six goals against the Kangaroos last season, bagged three of his majors in the decisive third quarter, while Brodie Smith (28 disposals, nine marks) was arguably best on ground for the Crows following a classy display across halfback.

Also impressive were midfield pair Scott Thompson (30 disposals, nine tackles) and Rory Sloane (25 disposals, eight marks), ruckman Sam Jacobs, who won his duel with Todd Goldstein, power forward James Podsiadly (19 disposals, eight marks) and the crafty Eddie Betts, who kicked three goals in a dominant first half.

Former Kangaroos skipper Brent Harvey (31 disposals, two goals), midfielder Levi Greenwood (32 disposals) and the hard-nosed Ben Cunnington (24 disposals, six tackles) were among the best for the Kangaroos.

Both sides kept each other tight in the first quarter and it took a Kangaroos defensive turnover for Podsiadly to kick the game's opener. Podsiadly's goal broke the game open as Betts and Matthew Wright goaled in quick succession for the Crows - the first a stunning checkside finish tucked up against the boundary, although replays showed the ex-Carlton man had taken the ball over the boundary line before scoring.

Thomas replied for the Kangaroos, but another Betts goal before quarter-time ensured the Crows regained the ascendancy. The Crows carried that momentum into the second term when they kicked three goals in eight minutes to build a healthy lead. The Kangaroos responded, though, with three unanswered majors of their own to cut the deficit and give themselves a sniff of a comeback heading into the second half.

But Betts had other ideas as he threaded his third major of the encounter on the siren to give Adelaide a 28-point lead at the main break. Both sides traded blows with goals at either end before Smith bombed through a 50-metre goal for the Crows that lifted the 47,205 crowd to its feet and gave the home side further breathing room.

Kerridge added two more to his haul, including a clever soccer-style finish off the deck, to push the Crows' lead out to 45 points at three-quarter time. The Crows kicked three goals to North Melbourne's four in the final term to seal a vital win.